“Fashions come and go but style is eternal.” These immortal words were spoken by Yves Saint Laurent himself. Yves Saint Laurent created style…not fashion. On Friday, I watched the Yves Saint Laurent documentary and I was enthralled by Mr. Saint Laurent and the timeless style he created. I believe that fashion is the art of making clothes, and style is what one wears and how they wear it. No two styles are the same even if two people wear the exact same outfit.
Yves Saint Laurent was an excellent couturier which means he understood the art of fashion. However, it was in his efforts to democratize fashion and liberate it from only being accessible to certain people that he created style. Yves Saint Laurent created wardrobe staples such as the pantsuit, the safari jacket, and the trench coat. These timeless wardrobe items can be worn by any woman, regardless of race or income level. Since the Yves Saint Laurent staples are classic items, they stand the test of time.
In my opinion, Yves Saint Laurent accomplished his goal of creating a style like Chanel and Balenciaga before him. In the documentary, Yves Saint Laurent repeatedly states that he admired Chanel & Balenciaga and that he was seeking to create a style as they had. Yves Saint Laurent understood that designers will constantly be inspired and so they will design based on their latest muse. This is why fashions fade, every season a designer must reinvent themselves and so they are constantly creating new items. Therefore, garments from last season fade away, but, if you create a style as a designer, then you’re no longer reinventing yourself. You’ve finally reached a point where you can simply improve upon what you’ve already done.
Yves Saint Laurent was one of the few designers to create a style. He created a chic, feminine style that has surpassed his years here on Earth. Basically, he became the embodiment of his own immortal words. Yves Saint Laurent is one of my favorite designers because he created an everlasting style that I identify with. Like Mr. Saint Laurent, I’m not big on patterns and “I hate details”. I believe that clothing should be simple and that a wardrobe should be filled with enduring garments that are chic for years not just a few months.
To me, you can buy the latest Skinny jean or Ugg boot, but the real necessities are a pair of bootcut jeans, black pumps, comfortable flats, a white collared shirt, a white tee, and black plants. Necessity items are things you can wear all the time, items that you can mix and match, or pair these items with eclectic jewelry or bold make up to dress it up. Basically, you’ll never be out of style. So, if you want endless style then please stock your wardrobe with the classics a.k.a. Yves Saint Laurent.
And there it is. The Fashion and Style of the Pen…de la Pen.
For more info on Yves Saint Laurent visit the website here: http://ysl.com/us/en/index.aspx
